Outdoor Extravaganza Link Party: Painting

Yesterday we shared our outdoor paint projects:

Bright Yellow Outdoor Side Table by Angie of Echoes of Laughter

Weathered Bench Container Garden by Shauna of Satori Design for Living

Hanging Succulent Centrepiece by Lucy of Craftberry Bush

Painted Exterior Brick by Dawn of Inspired Living

Waterproofing Outdoor Furniture by Tiffany of Living Savvy

Painted Gardening Bench by Kristin of My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Now it's your turn!

Small Changes, Big Impact - Painting Our Exterior Brick

We have made extensive changes to our home, inside and out.  However, some of the most high impact changes happened to be the cheapest / easiest ones we've made.

(Our house at the end of last summer)

Last year, I shared the before and after of our exterior, here.  However, the many changes that we made were done over the course of about 4 or 5 years.  The change that took our renovations from nice, to wow, in my opinion, was\ painting our brick and adding fresh landscaping.  Don't just take my word for it, take a look.  Here is a picture of our home after we changed the roof-line/windows/siding:

This picture was taken just about a year ago.  I remember being so excited to get our flower boxes planted, stepped back to take it in, and realized it was kind of sad looking!  That is when I knew something had to be changed.  Here is our home after new paint/plants:

Outdoor Extravaganza Link Party: Decorating

Welcome back!  Yesterday, we shared out outdoor decorating ideas and progress:

Tips for Creating a Beautiful Outdoor Space by Angie of Echoes of Laughter

Outdoor Conversation Area by Lucy of Craftberry Bush

DIY Pool Storage Rack by Tiffany of Living Savvy

Outdoor Lounging Area by Shauna of Satori Design for Living

Outdoor Living Room by Dawn of Inspired Living

Simple Outdoor Decorating Ideas by Kristin of My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Now it's your turn!

Creating an Outdoor Room

Our winter was cold and long.  My family has missed our time spent outside in our backyard and on our deck.  My son has spent the past few months asking me, daily, if we could "please eat outside on the deck, mom!"  The weather has only barely broke, but our deck is all ready and waiting for spring / summer!

Did you notice the dead looking tree in the background of the picture above?  That usually has leaves by now, but due to the (miserable) weather in our parts, it's still yet to bloom!  Can you tell I'm just a little bit ready for consistent warm weather?  I'm not bitter at all.... I swear....  ok maybe just a little.  ;)  I lost five newly planted rose bushes just on the other side of the deck over the winter, so maybe that is why I decided to go for the gold with these already full hanging baskets this year rather than planting them myself and waiting it out to fill in:

Outdoor Extravaganza Link Party

Welcome back to the 3rd Annual Outdoor Extravaganza!  If you haven't already, stop by and check out all of the great outdoor projects shared yesterday:

Chevron Striped Flower Pots by Angie of Echoes of Laughter

How to Age Terra Cotta Pots by Kristin of My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Garden Themed Hostess Gift by Shauna of Satori Design for Living

How to Plant Succulents in a Birdcage by Lucy of Craftberry Bush

Bright Pink Spring Front Porch by Tiffany of Living Savvy

Large Scale Summer Planters by Dawn of Inspired Living

Now it's your turn to share your projects here, and don't forget to prep your outdoor decorating projects for next weeks party!  I look forward to seeing what you've been up to:

Creating an Entrance: Summer Planters

Last year I gave our home exterior and landscaping a makeover to help improve our curb appeal.  One of the updates we made, among the many shared here, was to line our front entry path with planters and boxwood's to help create an entrance:

I chose two large scale planters to line the start of the path so that I could add drama and color to the landscaping each year with annuals.  Today I'm going to share the plants that I chose this year to fill these planters.  By now I think most of us have heard the formula for creating an eye catching planter: thriller, filler, spill-er.  With this in mind, I made the following selection:

Napa Getaway

As I mentioned the last time I posted, I wanted to share some of my favorite snapshots from our recent Napa getaway.  It was an awesome time and I tasted a lot of great wines!  We visited a variety of spots in Napa and Sonoma, and the ones I've included here were a few of my favorite.

One of our first stops, Far Niente, had the most beautifully manicured grounds of the wineries we visited.  This makes sense considering the owner originally made his money in the nursery business!  All of the spring flowers were in full bloom when we visited in early April.  The wines were really great as well, mostly Cabs, and my husband liked them so much we joined the wine club!  Two more notable items about Far Niente are the underground caves which were carved out after the building had been there for many years.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a lot of great snapshots of the caves since I would have needed a stand for my camera.  Additionally, as part of the tour you get to see the owner's car collection (added bonus for the husband).  I will note, though, that our tour guide - Zack - corrected me when I called it a "car collection;" he was quick to point out that these cars are driven regularly.  La dee da.  :)  A few snapshots from this stop:

Me and my husband in the underground cave: